I’ve come across options like the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM), and Certified Property Manager (CPM) programs, but I’d love to hear opinions on which have been the most valuable in practice.Additionally, any recommendations for resources, books, tools, or online communities that have been helpful for day-to-day management would be appreciated!

Quickly analyze deals using tools like BiggerPockets calculators.Look for good locations, below-market prices, value-add potential, and positive cash flow.

Cleveland and Lubbock are both good options to explore, but also consider areas with strong job sectors, like Indianapolis or parts of the Southeast.Researching Demographics: Tools like Placer.ai, Costar, and Data USA offer insights on demographics, migration trends, income, and market growth.

I've heard that DealMachine is becoming the go-to tool for this kind of data, but I've also noticed some strong results coming from Crexi lately.It seems like Crexi has a more multifamily-focused platform, while DealMachine is often geared toward wholesalers.

I think that the HELOC is a short-term tool, as you note.

I am learning but am struggling to tie tools, etc, together to understand a deal.  

I agree with @Jonathan Greene here that the first step is thinking through what to do with the primary residence - you might try this tool that I built a few months ago to analyze whether you should keep or sell the primary residence! 

@Karen Seguin, it all depends on what you are trying to convey to your tenants.At minimum, any welcome letter should provide updated contact info for maintenance requests and mailing address for rent payments, and if the legal notice address is different than lease, include that.This can also be a good way to politely remind people of any general rules that you expect them to adhere to.  

They have decent PM tools. 

I know people who currently have that, it started a generation ago and probably ends next generation, it's hard to maintain this more than a couple generations because the politics, religion and underlying values can't hold across hundreds of extended family members.The same goes for business/way of life.